Australian Treasury Minister says families need to have more children for the good of the country

Rome, Italy, May 13, 2004 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Although many governments throughout the world insist that progress requires the reduction of world population, a government official in Australia is publicly calling on parents to have more children in order to reverse the serious demographic problems the country is facing.

Treasury Minister Peter Costello surprised journalists when he said Australian couples have the duty to give more children to their country and he included in the federal budget a $3000 payment for each family into which a new baby is born after June.

"You go home and do your patriotic duty tonight," said Costello, who is proposing a “family package” of 19.2 million Australian dollars to be distributed over five years.

Costello said the actual number of two children per couple in a country of 20 million inhabitants is not enough and therefore, “"If you can have children it's a good thing to do. You should have one for your husband, one for your wife, and one for your country."

Costello, who has three children, said that in order to “fix the aging demographic, we must raise the average of two” children per couple.